Earthships are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, such as that around Taos, where extreme weather runs from sub-zero in winter to sweltering in summer.
Venture into New Mexico’s beautifully stark high desert and you may well stumble across some fantastical and unconventional homes – some palatial and sculpturally rounded; others with an ancient temple-like form – that look like they’re from a Star Wars movie.
Set in and around the town of Taos where they were invented almost 40 years ago, these are Earthships: net-zero, sustainably designed homes built mostly from both natural and waste materials, such as old tyres, empty wine bottles and wood and mud.
Since Earthship construction requires less in the way of toxic or carbon-emitting construction materials like concrete and plastics, and doesn’t require precious woodland and other natural resources, these exquisite homes are increasingly sought after worldwide. Earthships sell for anything from around $500,000 to $900,000 (£376,000 to £677,000) and are also available for overnight stays in and near Taos for around $240 (£180) per night.
The Earthship movement began in Taos in the 1970s after Kentucky native Michael Reynolds, founder of eco-construction company Earthship Biotecture, moved here in 1969 with an architecture degree. His goal: to “ride dirt bikes, for fun,” he says.
“I saw [CBS News anchor] Walter Cronkite on the news talking about clear-cutting forests for timber and creating not only erosion, but an oxygen problem because the trees put out oxygen,” Reynolds tells the BBC. “He was talking about what we call climate change and global warming now. I was seeing all these beer cans tossed away and I’m saying, ‘why don’t we build out of beer cans and not trees?'”
Reynolds built his beer-can house in 1971, gaining small notice in the news for its quirkiness. Yet, it went on to be exhibited in various parts of the world, including the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Reynolds notes, with some incredulity, “MoMA just bought a beer can brick for $4,500 (£3,386).” Indeed, after using one of the building blocks made of beer cans in an exhibit, the museum decided to add one to its permanent collection.
